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  • Get to know Dr. Pinnelas, a pediatric hospitalist

    Over 20 years ago, I began my career in Orlando as a private pediatrician. I was very happy as an office-based pediatrician, and I never dreamed I would have changed my career path. I always enjoyed making hospital rounds before going back to the office for the rest of the day. I also had an opportunity to teach students and residents at the hospital which was intensely rewarding. The hospital approached me over 14 years ago and asked if I would be willing to start something “new” which was to create the Pediatric Hospitalist Service at Arnold Palmer Hospital. Becoming a pediatric hospitalist was a very new specialty in the United States. It had just started to gain some traction in the adult patient population but was rare in pediatrics. I was game, so with my best friend and mentor, Matthew Seibel and two of the best nurses on planet earth, we founded this new venture.

    So what is a pediatric hospitalist?

    A pediatric hospitalist is a physician who only cares for patients in the hospital; most don’t have an outpatient practice. The concept of a pediatric hospitalist makes so much sense for so many reasons and here are just a few.

  • Want to save a life today? How about three? You can do just that by donating blood.

    It’s easy to overlook the importance of donating blood because most of us just don’t think about it until it applies to us. However when the unthinkable happens- an unexpected surgery, a cancer diagnosis, a premature baby is born- donated blood can make the difference between life and death. One out of every three people in the United States will need donated blood at some time in their lives. And for some, that time is now.

    I’d like you to meet Ethan.

    Ethan is ­14 years old. In May of 2013, Ethan was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. After undergoing 14 rounds of chemotherapy treatment, he was cancer-free and ready to go back to life as a normal teenager. However, a few months later during a routine follow-up, doctors diagnosed Ethan with a blood disorder called myelodisplastic syndrome (MDS), which then progressed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), likely an unwanted side effect of his previous chemotherapy. He underwent another round of chemotherapy treatment and a bone marrow transplant that required him to spend 67 consecutive days in the hospital. He made it home just in time to spend Christmas with his family. He’s looking forward to finishing his treatment so that he can go back to school, play video games with his friends and enjoy his favorite sports like soccer and baseball.

  • What we can learn from Leelah Alcorn’s suicide

    *this photo was posted on Leelah Alcorn's tumblr site

  • Do you think your child may have ADHD? Here are the next steps to take.

    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common medical issues affecting children, with an estimated 5 to 11% of children in the U.S. diagnosed with the disorder. Despite its prevalence (or perhaps because of it), an ADHD diagnosis for a child often brings with it feelings of stress, frustration, confusion and fear for parents. There are multitudes of conflicting opinions floating around about ADHD, and many parents find it difficult to decide which voices to listen to and how to make the right decision for their child.

  • Epilepsy patients: sleeping on your stomach may be associated with sudden death

    New research published in the Journal Neurology brings to light an association between patients with epilepsy who experience sudden unexpected death and their sleep positioning. As researchers reviewed studies pertaining to sudden unexplained death in epileptics, they determined that victims of this tragedy were much more likely to be found lying on their stomachs, especially if they were under 40 years of age.

    What does this study mean? 

    First, it’s important to know what it doesn’t mean. This study cannot and does not tell us that sleeping on your stomach will kill you, whether you suffer from epilepsy or not. When a scientific study shows an association between two things, it doesn’t necessarily mean that one thing causes the other. It means that two things are somehow associated and more work needs to be done to determine exactly what is causing the two to coexist.

  • Get to know Dr. Mark Weatherly, pediatric pulmonologist at Arnold Palmer Hospital

    The Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital cares for infants, children and young adults with chronic and acute respiratory disorders. Our practice provides comprehensive care for a wide variety of disorders associated with the lungs including, but not limited to, everything from asthma and chronic cough to restrictive, interstitial lung diseases and sleep disorders. Our interdisciplinary team consists of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory care practitioners, social workers, dietitians, pharmacists, medical assistants, front office staff and medical residents. We recently interviewed Dr. Weatherly, pediatric pulmonologist, to get to know him outside of the exam room and to learn more about the Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Center.

    Where did you grow up?

    In Michigan.

    Where did you go to medical school?

    Michigan State University

    What was your first job?

    I was a camp counselor in high school.

    What are your hobbies?

    Reading, travel, medical missions volunteer

    If you could meet anyone, who could it be?

    The Pope because I think he would have a great perspective on suffering and the love of God in our lives.

    Did you always know you wanted to go into the field of medicine?

    No. I wanted to be a veterinarian but discovered an allergy to cats, so that was not a viable career!

    Why did you choose to go into pediatric pulmonology?

    I had a mentor and role model who was a pediatric pulmonologist. I loved the way he helped families of children with Cystic Fibrosis, as well as how he balanced his career and family time.

    How long have you worked at Arnold Palmer Hospital?

    I have admitted patients here for 17 years and have actually worked for the hospital for 6 years.

    What do you love most about working at the Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital?

    We have an awesome multidisciplinary team that works well together and provides excellent comprehensive care to patients.

    Has there been a specific patient or family that has impacted you as a physician?

    There have been many. Each family brings their own perspective to a chronic illness, and it is an honor (though sometimes a challenge) to work with them through the process of medical therapy for their child.

    What is one thing that most of your patients don’t know about you?

    I am crazy about dogs, and I feel a little guilty telling some patients who have pet allergies they cannot have a pet when I have one myself!

    In honor of Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, what key pieces of advice do you give to families whose child has been diagnosed with asthma?

    Take your preventive medication as prescribed, and do not let anyone tell you not to be physically active because of your asthma. Go for it!

    Click here to learn more about the Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital

  • NICU nurse who developed special pacifier pushes for more babies to have access

    In time for Mother’s Day, the nurse who developed the groundbreaking “preemie pacifiers” is asking the American Academy of Neonatal Nursing to make sure more babies to have access them. Harriet Miller, Ph.D, ARNP, is a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. After years of working around preemies she developed the special pacifier after noticing that the tiniest of her patients in the NICU did not have a voice.

  • Marching for hope in the fight against childhood cancer: Ethan’s story

    Ethan was a happy and healthy 13-year-old who loved football and soccer. But about a year-and-a-half ago, Ethan’s parents knew something was not right with him. Ethan began to experience incredible pain in his hip, and so they began the daunting search to try and find answers to what was causing his pain. Life quickly became a flurry of emergency room visits, tests, nurses, doctors, needles, ambulance rides - all while their other kids were still at home. Ethan and his parents were sent to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children to meet with the pediatric oncology team.

  • Secondary drowning: What you need to know to protect your child

    This post was originally posted on June 27, 2014.

  • Turn your baby’s tummy time into play time!

    Written by Sabina Sheikh, MD